CHAPTER 7

It wasn’t easy getting changed in the car! But I was finally ready for

My teammates think I’m going to be great as the goalie!

Mr McDool too! He gave me a pair of my very own goalie gloves.

I really hope I do okay!

The ref blew the whistle and the game began!

Bella and Henry were

AMAZING!

Henry booted one of his high balls and it landed right in the net!

Then Bella kicked the ball

so hard and

so fast »»

that the other team’s goalie had

NO chance

of stopping it!

We were winning 2-0!

But then their left wing player came running towards me with the ball. He ran past Clare, he ran past Toby … and soon it was

just me!

The boy was real fast!

I started stepping side to side. I didn’t know what to do.

He kicked it right at me …

And I

ducked

it.

The ball went in. The other team had scored.

I wanted to run away and hide.

But I didn’t want to let my team down.

I looked over at Dad.

He was so proud of me, just for giving it a go.

He was jumping up and down and cheering me on, even throwing in some of his winning dance moves.

Suddenly I had the

BEST idea

ever!

Soon another guy came charging towards me with the ball.

I could feel the sweat dripping down my face.

He kicked the ball and it

»» shot at me like a bullet!

But instead of

ducking …

I did Dad’s

sprinkler

dance move!

I blocked the ball!

Moments later, a girl was charging towards me with the ball.

She dribbled left and right, then left again … then booted the ball to my right!

I did Dad’s snake move.

I blocked the ball again!

We were still one goal ahead,

with only a few minutes to go!

I just couldn’t let one more in!

And then, in the final moments of the match, the left wing was back.

He looked more determined than ever to get one past me.

But I was

MORE determined

to stop him!

He smashed the ball at the goals, and I tried my biggest move …

the killer whale!

I leapt out to the side and came

crashing

down on the grass.

And then I looked up …

The ball was in my arms!

I’d saved it!

That was the whistle!

WE WON!

2-1

I’d never been happier to hear my name!

What an awesome game!

My whole family was still celebrating as we drove home.

Mum said there was one stop we had to make on the way.

We pulled up outside the home of Helga, the Samples Lady with the

singing sausage dogs.

Mum and Dad got all the dog food out of the car.

Mum and Dad were inside Helga’s place for a looooooong time.

When they came out again, Dad was still carrying half the dog food.

And Mum was carrying something too.

Mum and Dad had

bought us a puppy!

What did we call him?